Margaret Maron's books are consistently good reading, and this one is no exception. The umpty-leventh in her Judge Deborah Knott series, which began with the Edgar-winning [book: The Bootlegger's Daughter] in 1992, [book: Death's Half-Acre] finds recently-married Deborah still working on the ramifications of being married to a deputy sheriff, being a stepmother, and also coming to the realization that her larger-than-life father will not live forever. Fear not, though, Kezzie Knott is still as wily as ever in this story and his subplot not only brings the book to a satisfying conclusion but also illustrates some key points about rural and small-town culture.The major plot line involves exurban sprawl development and its effect on the rural culture. In North Carolina it's farms which are being encroached on by people who are looking for country life, but can't bear the smell of manure; hereabouts where I live it's the working waterfront that comes into conflict with some of the incomers. So I get where Maron's characters are coming from. Maron is also very clear-sighted about the class structure of the communities she writes about. And, Deborah Knott's large family of brothers and their entourages not only help the plot along but provide comic relief from time to time. Maron is able to use current events and problems without making her books into "problem novels" -- you may learn something, but it will always be entertaining. Highly recommended. ( )

Deborah Knott is again involved in one of husband Dwight's cases. When a local city commissioner is killed Deborah is hunting for reasons. As usual there are various family members involved in one way or another, brother Will hired the daughter of the victim the day of the killing. Daddy Knott is working soemthing funny but has kept his council and doesn't let Deborah know his plans.

There are issues of kickbacks to various commissioners, family feuds and just a whole host of mini-stories tied up in this addition to Judge Knot series.

I love Deborah and Dwight, not to mention the whole Knott family. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series. ( )

Wikipedia in English

Unchecked urbanization has begun to eclipse the North Carolina countryside. As farms give way to shoddy mansions, farmers struggle to slow the rampant growth. In the shadows, corrupt county commissioners use their political leverage to make profitable deals with new developers. A murder will pull Judge Deborah Knott and Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant into the middle of this bitter dispute and force them to confront some dark realities.